The Man of My Dreams (Fitzmael 2) - SOON TO BE PUBLISHED

12: An inch away...

WE ARRIVED AT the hospital, and Marcus was still by my side. I cried out every time they moved my body. They transferred me to a bed and started cutting my polo. I cried uncontrollably, my hands shaking. Marcus grabbed his hair in frustration and cursed as he saw the condition of both my arms. Nakatingin lamang ako sa nabali kong braso. I didn't care about the other bruises.

"Ano pong nangyari sa inyo?" the doctor asked softly.

"I-I landed on my right arm..." I said through my tears.

The doctor nodded. The nurses assisting slowly began to remove my clothing, revealing my entire body. I saw Marcus sobbing. I looked at the doctor, who was trying to hold back his emotions. "Ang dami mong mga pasa at sugat. Anong nangyari sa 'yo?"

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say.

"You're so thin. We can see your bones. Please tell us what happened so we can help you better," the doctor said.

I wanted to say something, but my voice was too hoarse. My chest felt tight, and I was still groaning from the pain. They attached an apparatus to help me breathe in oxygen and various other things. Exhausted, my vision began to fade.

I WOKE UP in the hospital room and scanned my surroundings, noticing Marcus sleeping next to me. I looked out the window and saw that it was already late afternoon. My right arm was in a cast, and I didn't dare move it, afraid it wouldn't heal right away. My throat felt dry, and I was extremely thirsty, so I decided to call Marcus. "M-Marcus..." I called weakly.

He woke up and rubbed his eyes. "I'm so worried about you. Do you need anything?"

"Water, please..."

He nodded, then opened a bottle of water and inserted a straw. After that, he pressed the button on the side of the bed to elevate my upper body.

"I already called your friends. They're really worried about you. They might come around seven because they still need to finish the booth. It's only five-thirty," Marcus explained.

"Okay. And my parents?"

He shook his head. "I wanted to ask for your permission first, so I didn't inform them."

"I appreciate that. I don't want them to find out, they might send me back to Canada. What about Franco?"

"Dad was here. Franco confessed everything."

I felt pity for Franco. "What did they do?" I asked.

"He won't graduate if he comes near you or hurts you again. He's our family, but we can't tolerate what he did to you. We really want you to file charges against him, and we'll support you," he said seriously, his fists clenched.

I shook my head. "I think Franco will learn from this and won't come near me again. He loved me, Marcus..." Tears streamed down my face. "He was there for me..."

"Do you love him?"

I forced a smile and looked at him. "At first, no. But over time, I learned to love him. I love him because he never left me."

"You only love him because he manipulated you."

"Whenever he hurt me, I blamed myself for why I talked about you or why I was being difficult. He was kind to me when I wasn't acting up. He took care of me."

"But you don't deserve that!"

"Have you forgotten the time you said I deserve Franco?"

He paused. "I-I'm sorry about that. It's my fault."

"I regret loving you... I regret knowing you. You didn't care about me... but Franco did," I said, wiping away the tears threatening to spill down my cheek.